Tag: Hokitika Gorge

Discovering Hokitika

On By exploringthelongwhitecloudIn South Island, West Coast Region3 Comments

Hokitika.

A coastal town in the West Coast of the South Island with a population just under 3000.

We didn’t really know what to expect when coming here. I booked us a couple of nights because it was a convienent stopover point on our way back up the country and I found out you could do greenstone carving here which I thought would be fun.

What we discovered was a delightful town with lots of crafts, great sunsets and fun activities. It’s a place we would both certainly visit again and I feel this town deserves it’s own post

Here are 10 activities we really enjoyed while here:

Greenstone Carving

This is the reason we came to Hokitika. Although a rather pricey activity, Bonz ‘N’ Stonz was a really cool experiance. You begin by selecting your stone and drawing out a design and work through all the different processes, carving, contouring, sanding and polishing to create a unique piece to take home. It is very hands on with excellent tutors to help you along the way and give guidance on how to use the machines and tools. I wrote a whole post on this activity which you can check out here if you would like to know more.

Art Galleries

Turns out, Hokitika is a bit of a crafty town. I had an afternoon free so I took to the shops to check out the local talent. Of course, there is a lot of jade, stone and bone carving jewellery which you can buy if you don’t have enough time to do a workshop like mentioned above (or if crafts are just not your thing.) But there is much more than just this. There are beautiful artworks, lots of painting and photographs of gorgeous West Coast scenery. Hokitika Glass Studio is also a great place to visit and watch the glass blowers in action. It’s a fascinating process to watch.

Fossic for Stones

At fist glance, this may not seem like the most exciting activity, but I probably spent a good hour (a very enjoyable hour I might add) doing just this. Greenstone, while precious, is also quite common. You can find it down on the beach or along the river banks. Take a stroll along the shore and keep a look out for any interesting stones, you never know what you might find. Once you have collected your treasures, you can take them into Bonz ‘N’ Stonz and they will identify them for you.

Hokitika Sign

No trip to Hokitika is complete without a visit to the beach to get a snap of the famous Hokitika driftwood sign. This huge sign perched right on the beach is made entirely from driftwood. It’s creator, Don Neale, made it a few years back as an entry into the town’s Driftwood and Sand competition which happens every January. It has been a permanent feature ever since. With the mighty Tasman Sea as it’s backdrop, make sure you check it out at different times of the day as the light changes behind it.

Watch the Sunset

Hokitika is pretty well known for it’s epic sunsets. Head down to the beach, pack a picnic and watch the sun slowly slip down below the big blue ocean. After a day of fun and excitement, it’s nice to be able to sit back, relax and marvel at how awesome this world is.

Go to the Flicks

I am not usually one for suggesting you spend your time shut away inside, but if the weather is bad or you are wanting a relaxed evening, why not check out the local cinema. It’s in the center of town in a beautiful heritage building. It was built and opened in the 1930’s and still oozes the charm of the art deco period. It seats nearly 400 people and when we went, we nearly had the place to ourselves.

Fudge

Did someone say fudge? Yes please. Yes, I have a rather sweet tooth and just couldn’t resist making a stop at Sweet Alice’s Fudge Kitchen. It is bright and colourful, the cabinets lined with an assortment of tempting treats. (So hard to choose) So why not grab yourself a slice (or two, you naughty thing!) to enjoy while you walk on the beach or wander around the shops.

Mamma Mia Pizzeria

I do love a good pizza. If you do too, then head to Fat Pipi Pizza’s located pretty much on the beach. Dine inside and enjoy the ambience or outside in their delightful courtyard. Or get take away and have a picnic on the beach or enjoy in the comfort of your accommodation if it’s been a long day. Wherever you dine, their freshly made pizzas are sure to be a delight to your taste buds.

Hokitika Gorge

You will need a car for this one as it’s a bit out of town, but if you want to go exploring and stretch your legs, it’s a really great walk. We did a loop walk that took us about half and hour (wearing bulky motorbike gear) along a well maintained, easy walking track. There are lots of viewing platforms looking out at the gorge and your eyes will be treated to some amazing milky blue and turquoise water.

Hokitika Tree Top Walk

Get up high into the canopy and experience the forest from a different perspective. Enjoy walking along side giants and looking down on canopy, experiencing the forest with a bird’s eye view. Walk along 450 meters of platforms, 20 meters up in the air. For those who are brave, climb the tower, 47 meters above the forest floor or head out onto the cantilever and sway in the wind like a tree. You will need a car to get out to Hokitika Tree Top Walk but its a lovely way to spend an afternoon. We did this walk, you can read about our experience here.

Whatever you decide to do in Hokitika, I am sure you will find the town just as delightful as we did. Did I miss something? What have you loved doing in Hokitika?

Turquoise Water, Swing Bridges and Pool

On By exploringthelongwhitecloudIn South Island, West Coast Region1 Comment

It’s a riding day today. We need to get from Hokitika to Mt Lyford. It’s a 4 hour ride, but as we only really need to get from A to B, we decide to head to Hokitika Gorge for a walk.

It’s an easy 30 minute walk, along a well maintained path, through forest, with lots of viewing platforms to stop and admire the view. The track snakes it’s way along, following the gorge. Not long into the walk, we get our first proper look at the gorge from a viewing platform.

It’s stunning. The water is a gorgeous, milky, turquoise blue. I am sure it’s probably quite fast flowing, but the water isn’t wild and raging like I had expected.

It feels peaceful.

Kereru (native wood pigeon) are swooping through the gorge, birds are chattering away and I can hear the sounds of the leaf litter and gravel beneath my feet. The sounds of the forest.

Along the walk we come to two swing bridges. The first holds up to 6 people at a time. It crosses over the gorge and swings about a bit in the air, but not too much. I am ok with this height. My knees aren’t buckling and I am able to get some excellent, uninterrupted views out across the gorge.

The second bridge is much newer. It can hold up to 20 people and doesn’t really move around. Daniel pauses for a while to admire it’s structure and foundations. I am sure if left him to take all the photos, the majority would be of structures, cranes and fancy cars. (We have a lot of motorbike photos from our Italy trip, and Daniel’s photo of the Colosseum is actually of some construction work with the Colosseum in the background!)

It’s quite a warm day. The downside to travelling on a motorbike is having to do the walk in all our protective gear, along with carrying our helmets, as we don’t have enough luggage space to store it with the bike. It’s a rather sweaty walk. But soon enough we are back on the bike and that cools me down pretty quickly. We have a long ride a head of us so we jump back on the motorbike and make our way to Greymouth for lunch.

It’s amazing the difference that weather makes to a place. The last time we stayed in Greymouth, the weather was very dreary, grey and bleak. I didn’t think much of the place. Today the sun is shining, Greymouth is sun kissed and seems rather nice.

We continue our journey, we are heading East, taking The Lewis Pass to get there. We travel through forest and I can smell it. Damp, earthy and fresh. Amazing. I love the way travelling by motorbike allows you to interact with your surrounding and environment, much more so than in a car.

We follow the river for a while and then the road turns up into the hills. Its a really quiet road. It’s normally quite a popular one I believe but with no international tourism at the moment, we have the whole road to ourselves! It’s nice not having to worry about meeting other vehicles driving on the wrong side of the road (which does seem to happen a bit in popular tourist destinations here.)

We arrive at My Lyford, a lodge nestled into the hills. 5 minutes later I am in the spa pool, soaking away the aches from a long ride. Dinner is at the lodge but we decide to have a few pre-dinner drinks over a few games of pool. We are both as bad as each other but it’s an enjoyable and relaxed way to spend the evening.